The FCCMA Podcast

Andy Berns has been the Town of Southwest Ranches Town Administrator for ten years. As he likes to say, “government is the ultimate team sport. If you have a problem with your baseball team, it’s a whole lot easier to fire your manager than it is to fire your 25 players.” Andy believes in duality with creating and managing a team and recognizing that everyone you deal with has different needs.

Longboat Key Town Manager Thomas Harmer began his career in government as a Marine Corps interrogator before working as a 911 dispatch operator. From these experiences and his time as a town manager, he learned the importance of taking the time to truly listen and observe before making any decisions.

City Manager of Ormond Beach Joyce Shanahan explores some of the challenges of public-private-partnership. She discusses civic engagement tactics and a legacy project for public safety.

Monica Cepero discusses the path that landed her as Broward County Administrator. From working for Jeb Bush to working for the City Manager of Tallahassee, she emphasizes going out of your comfort zone to maximize your career growth.

Winter Haven City Manager Mike Herr discusses the amazing transformation of Winter Haven. He talks about the growth downtown, the City’s sustainability strategy and the public-private partnership that paved the way.

Deric C. Feacher talks about his journey to becoming City Manager of Daytona Beach. Starting as a Communications Director for the City of Winter Haven, he discusses the transformation and the collaboration that took place within the city.

Eagle Lake City Manager Thomas Ernharth plans to triple the size of Eagle Lake from 3,000 to a staggering 9,000 in only five years. He discusses the differences between Pennsylvania townships and Florida towns/cities, and touches on the complexities of outsourcing services to neighboring cities.

Lakeland Deputy City Manager Emily Colon explains the importance of demonstrating leadership in your organization. Elected officials set the vision for their city, and each department must understand what their business is and how that ties into the city’s overall strategic plan.

Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad discusses implementing a new 911 system in the city that allows those who are having a mental health crisis to receive counseling. He also touches on managing duplication of services with county/city services, being open-minded and striving to be better today than we were yesterday.

Tamarac City Manager Kathleen Gunn believes that a driving force for being in government is to provide a voice for equity. In this episode, Gunn reflects on her beginnings in public service, working for a mayor in White Plains, NY and explains how economic development is a pillar of her career.

Join us as we speak to Deland City Manager Michael Pleus about challenges and lessons learned from navigating a multi-county gas tax compact and spearheading complex and politically difficult city problems like homelessness.

Flagler Beach City Manager Will Whitson has been in city leadership for seven hurricane seasons. He advises preparing for hurricane season by thinking through possible issues, gathering your team, preparing and reviewing checklists and determining how to coordinate with the private sector to manage resources best.

Port St. Lucie City Manager Russ Blackburn has been in city government for 44 years and with Port St. Lucie for five. He discusses the process his city went through regarding tax abatement and how he created a core team of strategic planners who worked closely with stakeholders and allies to accomplish the goal.

In this episode, the host becomes the interviewee! Join us as FCCMA Executive Director Casey Cook interviews our beloved host, Steve Vancore of VancoreJones Communications, about what he has learned over 60 episodes.

Boynton Beach Director of Economic Development and Strategy David Scott understands the tremendous potential his city has to offer. David discusses economic development tools of the trade, strategies for attracting target industries and talent and tapping into the power of your city to bring in new businesses to the community.

City of Arcadia City Administrator Terry Stewart knows you don’t get things done without competent people to do them. The better the people you have working for you, the more effective and efficient your city will be. Join us as we talk about home rule, rodeos and the importance of tacos.

Charlotte County Administrator Hector Flores began his career in city government as a temporary full-time employee. Now, as County Administrator, Hector has put programs in place to help others rise through the ranks.

Yocelyn “Yocie” Galiano, Village Manager of the Village of Pinecrest, talks about her experience with the Managers in Transition program and how it has transformed her career and given her a fresh perspective. She and Steve also discuss urban deforestation and Pinecrest’s partnership with FIU.

Brittany Jumper-Rutherford services the City of Satellite Beach in a dual role as the Support Services Director and Comptroller. The support services director handles all finances and is over the Human Resources and Information Technology departments. In addition, Brittany helps the city by administering grants and working with FEMA in times of disaster.

Michael Grebosz, Assistant City Manager of DeLand, has lived in the Deltona area since he was 10 years old. Now working for the city, he understands the importance of mentorship programs in encouraging young professionals to begin their careers in city government.

St. Lucie County Administrator Howard Tipton understands in a county of over 350,000, how important vertical alignment is – understanding how what you do affects other people. In this episode, he extols the virtues of being approachable, knowing your residents and breaking down tasks to reasonable milestones.

Jerome Fletcher is the North Port City Manager, the largest city in Sarasota County. He explains how emotional intelligence separates someone driven by technical expertise alone and how emotional intelligence and the ability to listen to people make you truly successful.

Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms doesn’t try to make people happy. His philosophy is: if you’re abiding by your values and principles no matter what, and working fairly and consistently, you will have nothing to regret.

Lake Butler City Manager Dale Butler has to know everything about running his city. Although only a staff of 13, Lake Butler was recently noted by Governor DeSantis as being on the cutting edge and is a town of 1800 people already on sewer, which is highly unusual for a community that size.

In this fascinating episode, FCCMA Winter Institute Keynote Speaker Doug Logan discusses how success, ultimately, doesn’t matter – it’s what you do after success or failure that does. Life is not war, and the person you’re competing with is not your enemy.